Who Knows?
by Ayleeandra
Summary: It's PG13 to be safe, but please read! Finished!
1. Commonroom Dreams

Here it goes...have fun all you readers and PLEASE Review?

Disclaimer: Don't sue, at this moment in time my net worth is in pennies.

## Who Knows?

Harry Potter, the boy who lived (many times over), bolted awake trying to forget the sound of a cruel, high laugh in his ears. Adrenaline pumped through his sleep fatigued muscles and made his pupils widen in the dark to see more of the area around him. He had bought a book on sleep deprivation and what it could do to you in a muggle shop. There was something in it about going insane; he was beginning to think the author had a point. 

Tiredly, he sunk back into his bed in Gryffindor dorm and stared at the ceiling till his eyelids drooped ever closer to sleep. His mother's voice cried out sharply, "Please no! Take me! No!" He shot awake again. "This is no way to live," he grumbled before throwing back the heavy, scarlet comforter, the blackout drapes and crawling out of the large four-poster. He dug underneath his pillow for his wand and picture album. Pulling both out he shuffled down stairs to the common room. 

The night sky sparkled brightly as he looked out the windows, and the walls danced merrily from the emerald green fire, which sparkled cheerfully in the Gryffindor hearth. Choosing a chair nearest to the flames he settled himself in it, arranging his wand so it was close by if he needed to grab it for any reason, and thumbed the album open. 

He stared at the pictures of his parents. Picnics, parties, their wedding and holding a tiny baby Harry at a hospital with a beaming Sirius and Remus with their arms slung around his mother, (the picture was from Remus for Harry's birthday). He kept staring at everything for what seemed an eternity before finally coming to a page that had more recent memories. A picture of him, Ron and Hermione sometime at the Burrow over the summer going into second year waved heartily at him. There was a second one, which was a clipping of Ron's family in Egypt before the start of their third year. And the summer after…he found a picture of all the Weasleys -- all seven children along with parents -- with Hermione and Harry on either side of Ron, just before they went to the Quidditch World Cup. 

Finally he reached the recent year, there was this summer's picture, the summer before fifth year. Ron and Harry were playing chess in the foreground, Ron's chess pieces alive and winning as always while in the background was Hermione, nose in a book, sitting on a couch absentmindedly stroking a very sated looking Crookshanks who was chewing on what appeared to be a little gnome boot. 

He flipped open a second page looking for more and found an envelope. On it was written 'To Harry.' Curious, he opened the envelope and found a note inside, it was written in careful, neat, small writing, which he could easily define as Hermione's. He leaned forward to read in the firelight, 

_Dear Harry, _

Yes, it is Hermione but no, I didn't go through your things…Ginny did. Okay, so she didn't and she's screaming at me to rephrase that. Oh, don't give me that scrunched-nose look (Harry was scrunching his nose, now that he thought about it), you were a zombie when we came into Ron's room, you were just staring out the window doing nothing. Gin' and I saw your book open and figured that the pictures we were setting up to give you would be a nice surprise if just slipped into your album. And no, we haven't and won't look, these are copies of the pictures I had developed for my parents, we hope you like them. 

Love from, 

Hermione and Ginny 

These were the pictures that Hermione had taken, then had developed. She had a muggle and though so it didn't have the moving pictures, she treasured it because her parents had given it to her as a Christmas present. Hermione's father had taken up developing and told her to send the film back to him so he could develop it, she'd gone a bit mad, taking pictures of almost anything. He began to flip through them; there was a picture of Ron in a frozen argument with Percy sitting at the kitchen table in the Burrow. One with Fred and George sneaking something into a Slytherin trunk at Platform 9 and three-quarters, and there was one with a skirmish Quidditch game with the Twins, Ron, Harry and Charlie who was in visiting from Romania. They were all streaking around in the sky like blurred bullets. 

He found an image of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley smiling fondly out a window staring at a sun set, Mrs. Weasley wrapped in Mr. Weasley's arms. The light shone golden on them, highlighting the streaks of white that began to appear in their hair. Behind them the kitchen was cast in golden light, with shadows in the corners, the old worn Weasley table scrubbed clean and bare, the chairs around it showing the family which existed, no matter where it was in the world. The light made their faces look both happy and youthful in the sun, while older and more matured with the shadows behind them. Harry swallowed an unexpected lump in his throat and shuffled the pictures around, putting them away. 

He stretched out in the chair, throwing his legs over the side and hugging the photo album to his chest, he watched the flames till his eyes started to droop closed, soft, foggy peace was flowing over him. Harry yawned and snuggled into the chair more, it was warm, he was comfortable -- he was tied to a headstone marked 'TOM RIDDLE' watching a fully formed Voldemort rise from the cauldron at his feet. He stared in horror, wishing desperately that he could do something, Voldemort was raising his wand, laughing high and cruel and calling his name…"Harry…" He squirmed away, trying to hide, he wanted to hide so badly, he wanted to scream and cry "Harry…." and have his mother hold him close so that he'd always be safe. But no, he'd never be safe, never. Voldemort's face grew near, Harry could smell hot, putrid breath mixed with something soft which gradually became something like…mint? "Harry! Harry, wake up!" 

He shot awake and found himself staring into Ginny Weasley's concerned brown eyes. Harry swallowed hard and found that he was gripping her hand tightly. He also found he didn't want to let go. "G-Ginny, what are you doing awake at this hour?" She raised her eyebrows, "Harry, what are you doing sleeping in the common room without a blanket? It's almost freezing down here…" she gestured at the dwindling fire. He swallowed, "oh? I hadn't noticed. It was warm when I came down." Ginny watched him with solemn brown eyes, "you've been dreaming about him. Haven't you?" Harry stared at her; no one had ever been direct with him before on the subject of Voldemort. Not Sirius, not Ron, not Mr. or Mrs. Weasley, not Hermione, and Dumbledore only when necessary. "Harry. You've been dreaming of Tom, haven't you?" His eyes looked up and met her's, they were wide and worried, almost doe like. "Tom?" he asked uncertainly. She nodded, "Tom Riddle, the boy before the monster? Though I think you dream more about the monster aspect." Her eyebrows twitched into a frown and her fingers came up to his face, flipping a piece of hair out of his eyes, then resting her hand on his forehead. "You've got a temperature, you know." 

Harry was frozen. This was not Ginny Weasley, no way could this be her; she was the one who couldn't be in his presence without blushing. Harry was sure his cheeks were reddening, at least. Suddenly he felt an intense urge to hug her and just cry into her shoulder. To sob and tell her everything, everything with Voldemort, with the dreams, with Cedric, even the dream he'd gotten over the summer. Which he hadn't mentioned to anyone except Sirius and Professor Dumbledore upon receiving the dream and getting to Hogwarts, each circumstance to their own person. 

"Harry?" Ginny looked worried now, she shouldn't be worried, Ginny was too nice to be worried. He was still holding tight to her hand; he focused on it, like a drowning man would focus on the image of a life preserver. "Harry?" Higher, more worried. "Harry!" she finally cried. His eyes snapped to hers, "Gin'?" his voice rasped out, like it needed water. She looked at him with a stern glint in her eyes, though her body was marred with worry lines, her free hand came up and hugged him close while he gave into tears. He didn't know why he was crying, he'd only meant to let go of her hand, explain in a rational voice that he was quite fine and just needed to get away from Neville's snores to sleep better and that she shouldn't worry herself. But now he was sobbing like a child, into his best friend's sister's shoulder. 

Ginny was cooing words to him, he just held onto her for life, as if he let go that he'd die. When he stopped crying, he realized she was rocking him back and forth gently, smoothing his hair back, and he was sitting on the floor, head nestled into her shoulder, still holding her hand. 

"Ginny?" he whispered quietly. "Mmmmhmmm?" she kept stroking his hair, almost like Mrs. Weasley had done at the end of fourth year as he sat in the infirmary, dying of shock and guilt. "I'm sorry I got your nightgown wet…" Ginny giggled and hugged him, he couldn't help smiling slightly, she was wonderful he realized. They sat for a moment, she was resting against the chair now, and he was being held like a baby, drawing in her wonderful scent of cooking spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg and something else that was sweet and tangy, something he'd smelled before. He rested against her, drinking in everything gentle and pure around her, like the unicorns Hagrid had showed his Care of Magical Creatures class in fourth year. 

"Harry…?" He yawned, "yes?" She was hesitating on asking something, she didn't want to frighten him, how could he not have noticed how wonderful she was? "Harry," she paused. "You dream about him, don't you?" On any other circumstance Harry would have zoned to the rebirth of Voldemort, his voice, or the way he moved or his snake-red eyes. But now… 

"Every night since I left Hogwarts," he found himself saying. "Dumbledore gave me something to drink that caused dreamless sleep and Siri--" he broke off abruptly and swallowed. "My godfather sent me the same potion as a birthday present with an apology note. He was sad that his birthday present had to be something so that I didn't dream of…of Voldemort." He paused and waited for her to do, or say something that would show her pity or ask about his godfather, but all she did was nod. 

"I did too. The dreams fade though, became a bit infrequent after a while, you'll be able to sleep again soon." Harry tilted his face up at her, but all he saw was a freckled cheek. She rearranged her limbs so that she could hug him a bit more. "I know you haven't told Ron or Hermione…" her voice trailed away. "They're worried sick about you." 

"I can't." 

"What do you mean you can't?" 

"I can't pull them into this." 'Did I just _say_ that?! Am I insane?!' 

"They're already in this," she was murmuring into his ear. "And did it ever cross your mind they wouldn't want it to be any other way?" He didn't answer. "You're tired and you need sleep." She pulled him up off the floor and down onto a couch, she picked up a blanket which she had dropped coming down stairs, sat next to him and draped the blanket over them both. Harry couldn't help grinning, "did it ever come to you that I'm the guy and am supposed to be comforting you?" Ginny just giggled though, "time to get in touch with your feminine side boy-o. Now, bed." She rested at the other end of the couch, but for some reason Harry couldn't fall asleep. He felt cold, and before he could think of what exactly he was doing, he crawled underneath the blanket and snuggled against her back, wrapping his arm around her waist and resting his head next to her's. 

The kitchen smell of spices filled his nose, the warmth and the way she snuggled against him caused him to drift into sleep, drowsily he realized that his wand was still on the chair which he had been trying to sleep on. He held out his hand for his wand, lying dully on the floor, and murmured a spell that made it skip up into his open palm. He did _accio_ to make the photo album come to him. He pulled out the final two pictures, slid the photo album to where his feet were and looked at the last two. There were Ron and Hermione, pouring over homework, sitting close together. _Very_ close together. Harry grinned and looked at the last photo, catching his breath very suddenly at the sight that greeted him. 

Obviously Fred and George were kind to their younger brother and sister, buying them both new and definitely more fashionable dress robes. Harry had seen Ron's; they were dark blue with gold fastenings and made him look very good. He'd said that all the girls at Hogwarts would be dropping their jaws if they saw him now. Ron had grinned, looked at himself in the mirror and smoothed the robes down again. But Ginny's were nothing like the formal, loose one's he'd seen other's wear. These ones made him stare in awe. 

There was Ginny Weasley, looking lovely in green the color of spring grass. She was on a hill with the sky a clear blue behind her and the sun shining down onto her hair, causing halo of light around her head. Her arms were out as she spun around in a circle, hands palm up, wrists turned down, making everything seem fluid, and graceful. Her hair curling at the ends, loose, flying around her like a fiery whirlwind. Her skirts flew around her, making a pale green blur, showing her ankles beneath, and her small bare feet, dancing in the green of the hill. Her head was tilted back showing a pale, graceful neck, her profile lovely against the sky. The green top pointed at the waist somewhat, but clung to her, cream colored braid outlined a slightly lower neck than Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would have liked, Harry was sure, and these robes looked more like a dress. But no, there was a robe over it, reaching down to her knees, a slightly lighter shade than her dress, with gold fastenings on it, and long sleeves reaching to her wrists. 

Harry wasn't sure how long he lay there, just staring at the picture of Ginny. But he knew it was for a while. She was beautiful, he realized. How could he not? She had grown up, even Neville had noticed it, and judging by the extra robe over the dress, Fred and George had noticed their mistake by giving her such…accenting…robes. She was, beautiful. That was all that came to mind other than she must have been very happy to be spinning like that, on the hill overlooking the Burrow. 

He stared at the picture again and compared it to the gentle creature in his arms; he sighed and relaxed back to holding her. Everything was dimming and he fell into a dream where he stood behind a red haired woman while gazing out at a sunset. He inhaled the scent of cinnamon and nutmeg and drifted blissfully off into sleep. 

*** 

Sometime just before dawn Ginny realized that she was very warm, very happy, and unusually comfortable. She yawned slightly and moved her hand to scratch her belly, but instead encountered an arm, gently wrapped around her waist. Freezing for a moment, she tried to draw in as much information as possible without moving, she glanced down and found that the arm wrapped around her was connected to a hand, and in the hand was a piece of colored paper. Ginny tugged slightly at the paper and blushed that Harry would have such a personal image. Hermione would suffer for that, she thought along with a sudden blaze of information, Harry was holding her. She had to repeat it, _Harry_ was holding _her_. 

And the sun was rising which meant that many people would be awake very soon. She twisted her head around to view Harry's face and almost melted into his arms even more. He had a very small smile, patient, peaceful, loving? Ginny swallowed and heard a thump from somewhere in the Gryffindor dorms and wiggled away from Harry quickly, not daring herself to be caught sleeping next to him in such an intimate position. 

As soon as he was away he rolled over and moaned, his face creasing into a worried frown to which it stayed. She watched his breathing, staring at him, at his arm, and touched her stomach slightly, 'he needed someone,' she thought breathlessly to herself. 'He would have acted the same around Lavender, or Parvati or any other girl, though he would have talked to Hermione if she was down here. He just needed someone to hold, it was nothing personal…' but her eyes drunk in the sight of him. 

She tucked the photos of Ron, Hermione and herself back into the album, and carefully put that underneath his arm. Ginny watched him for a moment, almost close to tears, longing to crawl back onto the sofa and just be held by him…that was what she wanted, wasn't it? Harry's eyes were fluttering and he was beginning to moan again, like he had when Ginny found him the first time. Kneeling next to him, she tentatively stroked his cheek and pushed hair out of his eyes, smiling as his eyebrows softened from the frown that they were in, and soft, smooth, sad look. Reaching forward, ever so gently she brushed her lips against his forehead and stood just as quickly, rushing back to her dorm…Harry slept. 

In his dream the warm woman moved away from him, he tried to get to her, how could she leave him? Clouds were swirling around him, he was losing sight of her, if he did, she'd leave, forever…no, she couldn't leave! No! A soft hissing sound reached his ears, building louder and louder…no, no…not her…not Ginny…'you can't have her!' he cried at the mist. But suddenly something was touching his forehead and once again he held Ginny, smelling of spices, her hair a halo of light, resting softly in his arms. She felt warm, and wonderful, radiant, and larger than he'd expect. In the dream he hugged her closer, a hand resting on her swollen stomach, his chin resting on her shoulder…"Harry! Wake up!" 

*** 

Well, this is what my story is like...tell me if you want the other parts, I'm finishing it tonight. Mostly this is to get me used to using the chapter system so I tried to finish the whole thing before I posted. PLEASE review and let me know what you think. Comments, flames, I don't care. The setting was off I realized...the whole thing reminds me more of sixth year but I'm being difficult and doing fifth. They're most likely OOC (Ginny especially in this part) but I tried to stick to some of the fundamentals of their charachters. Anyhow, please review...they're very fun to recieve as most of you out there know. 


	2. By The Lake

## Who Knows?

After Ron's quick awakening that morning to save Harry from Professor McGonagall's spite at staying awake for so late, Ginny wouldn't leave his mind. He thought he saw her in the halls and tried desperately to try and find her as she left her classes but to no avail. She was simply moving too fast for him that day, half way through Snape's potions class Malfoy made a rather stinging comment about Cedric Diggory and waited for Harry's reaction, but none came. He had barely heard his comment as Parvati walked past in a huff of perfume talking about Ginny Weasley being out all night and not coming back to her dorm till sunrise. A warmth spread its self throughout his body so that not even the chill in the dungeons could affect his mood…she stayed. All night, she stayed, right next to him! 

He powdered dragon scales shed by a red-gold Volumniouso Dragon, 'a type that lives in volcanoes and lava pools south of the equator. Has relatives which live in sulfuric springs created by the volcanoes heating water underneath the ground.' Lunch, then Transfiguration, Divination, History of Magic and finally time to get ready for dinner. 

He kept trying to find her but she was totally avoiding him, there was no denying it. And they were even in the same house! How could she do this? Harry racked his brains for most of the day, trying to figure out where she had gone off to that he couldn't find. He'd checked the library, the classrooms, he'd even had Hermione go up and check the girl's dorms under the pretense that Ron needed to talk to her, but she simply wasn't there. 

She even skipped dinner, or did she? He scanned the crowd for any red heads who were not either arguing with Hermione or trying to figure out the next best way to blow something up. It didn't work. She wasn't there! Which was impossible, technically…he sighed and went back to poking at the pudding on his plate, he'd lost his appetite a long time ago. Tiredly he stood and left, muttering excuses to Ron and Hermione, ignoring their worried looks and trekking back to Gryffindor house. 

He told the fat lady the password (galloping unicorns) and crawled into the dorm. He barely made it into his dorm before he collapsed onto his bed. He rested for a while, watching the ceiling and when that became boring, got ready for bed. Sometime later he heard people coming up stairs for their homework or to sleep, whichever they chose to do at the time. His eyes were getting heavy but something wasn't right with the ways his pillow was. Harry shoved his hand beneath it and found the photo album. He carefully moved it to the end of the bed so that it wouldn't get knocked over or slept on wrong, which would damage the pictures. But one fell out before the book could make its rest at his feet. 

It was the picture of Ginny, hands out, skirts twirling, hair flying in the wind. He sighed and fell back into the pillows, calling every memory he had of the hill. The way the sun shone and warmed you all over while lying face up, staring at the clouds. The way the wind hit you in the face, blowing your hair back, and the fresh smell of grass, without the damp clods of dirt sticking to you. The little ants that insisted on trying to climb the mountains of your feet while you wore no shoes, tickling like mad…he yawned. 

Everything was so peaceful, so calm, and so wonderfully warm. He'd have to get back to the Burrow son, he swore the smell of fresh bread was on the wind…it was great visiting. Something moved to the left of him, a flash of fiery red caught his eyes before a little girl came stumbling and giggling up the hill, pursued by a boy of the same age with hair messier and blacker than Harry's could ever have been at any age. He smiled in his dream; someone was calling him, someone near by…Ginny? 

He sat up in bed, staring out the window at the moonlight, wondering what woke him. He was still holding the picture of Ginny in his hand, he'd been so calm, so realized and warm…why did he have to wake up? The thought struck him suddenly that this was the first time in five months that he had ever wanted to wake up from a dream. 

Grumbling viciously he crawled out of bed and wished that he knew where Ginny was. The photo in his hand was maddening, he _needed_ to talk to her. No, not _talk_, he needed to hug her, to hold her, to kiss her. He slapped the thought viciously away and shoved the image of her wearing her green robes for him, back into a corner of his mind where he couldn't want it, no matter how wonderful it seemed. 

She'd be in danger if he cared for her in any way other than as a brother, and even then she was in horrible danger. She'd be killed just like his mother was. He pushed the frozen, muggle photo into the album and opened his trunk ready to just toss it inside with everything else when he noticed something. Tacked to the inside of his trunk lid was a blank, ragged, ripped, piece of parchment. He kept staring at it, not knowing if it could be true…Barty Crouch Jr. had possessed it last, no, Harry thought, there was no way that he could have it in his trunk now. No way… 

His hand shot out and after a moments hesitation, carefully untacked the paper from the trunk lid and opened it. Inside the parchment was a small piece of separate paper, on it was written: "To Harry, from your thieving Godfather." He kept staring, not daring to believe, till suddenly his wand was in his hand and he was whispering quickly, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Lines began to bloom across the paper, tracing a web that could only be defined as the inside of Hogwarts. 

Classrooms and hallways, offices, kitchens, the grounds, passages in, out, around the school and the location of every teacher in the building. The Marauder's Map was truly a treasure amongst students. He stared for a while longer before a thought popped into mind, he leaned down, hoping none of his dorm mates were awake, and judging from Dean's tired mumbling, and Neville's soft snores they really were asleep. 

"Where is Ginny Weasley?" he whispered to the map. Dots sprang up, one right next to him marked _Ronald Weasley_; two were in the kitchens marked as _Fred Weasley_ and _George Weasley_. He looked around frantically and found that a tiny dot marked _Virginia Weasley_ was down near the lake talking to a second dot marked _Cellona of Virgini_. Before Harry knew what exactly had happened he had grabbed up his invisibility cloak, hidden in the bottom of his trunk, and (quietly) raced out of the dorm room. 

He glanced at the map a few times, making sure that he wasn't going to get caught leaving the castle through the doors out onto the Quidditch pitch. Snape came awfully close to rushing into him, and for a moment it looked as if Professor Dumbledore would be coming down a hallway, but the Headmaster turned back towards his office, as if he forgot something. Harry took the opportunity to jump out a low window overlooking the lake. 

He fell with a thump and rolled across the ground picking up grass and dirt so when he stood everything seemed to float in midair. He slapped his arms and back vigorously for a few minutes, he wanted to see who Cellona of Virgini was, and yes, the two were still talking. 

Harry drew in his breath and took off jogging down to where the flat, reflective surface of the lake shone black and silver. He followed the map to a path where it was easier, quicker and quieter, there was no way that Ginny was going to run, he couldn't stand this anymore. 

When you can no longer look at a person without feeling an intense pain in your heart and having to mentally restrain yourself from kissing the girl, you _knew_ you had to talk to her. There was no way to get around it. Of course when he came around the small bend and saw a flash of incredibly bright red hair being off set by a snow white horse with a lovely silver horn sticking out of it's forehead, it killed your urge to throw yourself at her feet. Now you just wanted to stare for eternity at the definition of beauty. 

She was in the green dress, standing before a unicorn, murmuring softly to it, looking almost serene, like she did in his dreams. Harry's attention riveted it's self onto her image. He would have stayed all night had the unicorn, who could only have been Cellona of Virgini, stepped away carefully, nuzzling Ginny one last time before galloping back into the woods. 

Ginny sighed and Harry stared dumbfounded as she began to walk back to the school. He hated to draw her away from the calm she seemed to be floating in but it had to be done, didn't it? Was he honestly so sure of his feelings? What would he say to her? Why didn't he think of these questions sooner?! The impatient part of his mind answered for him, 'yes it has to be done. You'd better be damn sure you know how you feel because for the last two weeks before any of this you've been staring at her and you bloody well _slept_ next to her _all night long WITHOUT doing anything_ so yes, I think it is something substantial. You're going to tell her that she's the one who keeps the nightmares away, that she lets butterflies loose in your stomach. And you didn't think of these questions sooner, because you are an intelligent young man who recognizes the merits of denial and _just let her go inside! Idiot!_

*** 

I know this part was shorter than the others, but thank you for all the wonderful reviews! Part three will be up by the end of the week... please R/R? 


	3. Muttering Unicorns

_Okay, so I lied and put this up early, I hope its as fun to read as it was to write. This is the **last** part in my series! Wow. I actually did a series! Once again, thank you **so** much for the reviews, I can't tell you what the ones I got on the first part meant to me! Please review!_

## Who Knows?

Ginny stepped inside almost singing, Cellona had that effect on her, the green dress swirled around her ankles while her hair fell loose and tangled to her waist. She had been called down to the lake by the old unicorn to pass on a message to the Headmaster. For some reason unicorns in the area took especially well to redheads, so Professor Dumbledore had asked her to relay any messages to Hagrid or himself that the silvery creatures told her. 

From somewhere behind her she heard footsteps and turned, hoping not to see Filch, he wouldn't care if you were going to rid the world of Voldemort. If you were out at night, you were his prey and could quite easily be punished. 'Sure, go ahead and kill Voldemort, just don't sneak out at night to do so,' Ginny snorted and turned away from the empty hall and into a classroom. She needed to write the message from Cellona. 

Drawing parchment out of her pocket she ruffled around in one of the desks and retrieved a bottle of ink and a quill. Her mind screwed up trying to remember the exact wording; 'Voldemort's reign will not be in vain, for the blood of Gryffindor shall continue on.' She carefully wrote down the message and considered writing down the last few whispers which had reached her ears as Cellona had turned away, 'inconsiderate black-nest heads, roaming the forests with no consideration, playing with the spiders, and _always_ taking away the good messengers…' 

The unicorn only spoke in rhyme to give her information to Dumbledore from some of the more…understanding…of the Centaurs who roamed the Forbidden Forest. She sighed and capped the bottle of ink, no use writing down what was not in rhyme, that meant the comment was unimportant. Either that or Cellona couldn't find a way to rhyme 'black -nest heads.' She yawned and was about to stretch when a voice from the doorway spoke, "Ginny?" 

Instead she bolted out of her seat and stared at a very mystified looking Harry Potter. She felt her face grow increasingly warm…it had taken all of her acting ability to be composed and grownup around him last night. Now he was coming in, interrupting her writing a message to Dumbledore and almost making her swoon because he looked so dashing with his hair all mussed up and his eyes flashing brightly, like emeralds in the light. 

Her hands were wringing themselves out of their sockets behind her back, so she put on a calm face, threw in a bit of surprised (not that that was particularly hard), and added a bit of relief. 'Are you acting or cooking?' she muttered in her mind so Harry couldn't hear, though she doubted he would, he kept staring at her for some reason… 

Her face flushed a red it would shame even the loveliest apple, she was still wearing the dress! Ginny cleared her throat and his eyes flashed brightly as they looked at her face instead of awe gazing at her foot sticking out from beneath the hem of the skirt. She swallowed and tried to speak, no sound was coming out. Harry gulped and spoke so softly that she could barely hear him: "I saw you were out by the lake and that there was someone near you." He looked like a little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Ginny had to stop herself from sighing, he was so cute when he acted like this! 

"I didn't know you could talk to unicorns," he blurted out. Ginny grinned, "Professor Dumbledore gave me the job," 

"Really?" Ginny nodded, "he said his last girl graduated years ago and married someone from her class. Apparently she was a rather good Speaker, but some bloke--the one she ended up marrying actually--" why was she telling him this part? "Kissed her while she was in front of the unicorn. They don't like that, goes along with impure thoughts and such, besides, Cellona says that Moonhorn was rather old fashioned." 

Thoughts ran themselves around in Ginny's mind, why did she tell him all that? It had nothing to do with him, didn't it? Harry was staring at her with an unusual look in his eyes, "so you don't ever plan on kissing someone?" She swallowed a gulp of breath, _not him, he's not thinking of me. Just being a paranoid sixth- no, seventh brother, it's just because I'm the closest he has to a sister, has to make sure I don't do anything 'wrong'. _ She cleared her throat realizing how light it actually was in the classroom, moonlight shone in through the windows sending splashes of silver onto the ground, everything seemed very romantic…she shoved the thought away. "Uhm, not in front of Cellona, she is rather nice, and I don't want to let Professor Dumbledore down, it's important what I tell him, though tonight she was mostly grumbling." 

"About what?" again, his eyes shone brightly and he was uncharacteristically intense, just staring at her, silently. As if attempting to gather some information from her while she spoke. "Just grumbling…part of it was a rhyme, for the Headmaster, but otherwise she was just telling me she wasn't like Moonhorn…" Ginny frowned, her eyes going to the floor and a slight blush staining her cheeks. 

Harry carefully stepped closer to her, as if she was a bird or a rabbit, frightened off at the slightest moment by an unusual movement. "Moonhorn was the one who didn't wish to speak to the girl anymore? Because she was in love with someone?" Ginny knew her face was going red but nodded and looked back at the paper, willing desperately to turn the subject. "Here is the message for Professor Dumbledore. They can't be delivered any other way, they're made to stick in your mind so you don't forget them." Harry nodded and glanced towards the paper. 

A frown marred his forehead, "how can 'the blood of Gryffindor continue on' if Voldemort still exists?" Ginny shrugged, "it is the message, word for word, exactly what she told me." 

"Anything else?" 

"What?" 

"I said, did she say anything else?" 

Ginny swallowed, "nothing of relevance, just some of the usual information, the birds are heading south early this year so watch out for early winter, it is going to be cold, wear your cloak tomorrow…it's like having mum around to watch you." She grinned at him, inviting the grin she knew was there, to form on his face. Eventually it did, in the slow smile that made her knees go a little weak. 

"Just that then?" 

"Y-yep" her voice squeaked on the last part, Harry just kept staring at her. A silence stretched long with her blushing at the floor and he staring intently at her face, his eyes looking for something. 

"Well then," Ginny broke the stillness of the room. "I think we'd best get back to Gryffindor, Filch doesn't let me wander the halls even if I'm doing something for the Professors." 

"Mmmhmm." She glanced quickly up at him and found that he was standing rather close, she could almost smell him…grass and soap, clean, safe, warm-- 'stop it!' she shrieked at her mind. 

"We haven't talked about what happened last night." Ginny swallowed hard…'oh why did you have to get all sappy on him?' she bemoaned herself. 'You couldn't have just gotten Hermione or Ron, no, nooooo! You had to get all fluffy and sappy! Perfect, absolutely piffling-perfect!' 

"I-I'm sorry--" He put a finger on her lips and she nearly collapsed with dizziness. "You kept my nightmares away," he whispered softly at her. "For the first time in months I hated waking up…it meant loosing you…and- and-" his eyes gleamed feverishly bright, pleading her to understand what he was trying to say. If death came on swift wings tomorrow, Ginny knew that she would die happy. 

*** 

Harry tried desperately to find his words, 'what am I supposed to say to her?' as she began to apologize. Without thinking he put a finger to her lips, noticing how wonderfully warm they were, rejoicing in the startled gasp she gave, she was _alive_, and never leaving if he could help it. The odd rhyme, the unicorns, Dumbledore and even Voldemort were gone from his mind. He just kept his eyes on her and didn't take them away. 

'Now what do I do?' he asked silently. The scene couldn't get much worse if any teachers who waked in. Here they were, in the middle of an empty classroom with Ginny dressed like a queen and Harry with an invisibility cloak stowed away in his pocket. There were barely two inches between them, she very flushed and him with a finger on her lips…nope couldn't get much worse. 

'But!' cackled the impatient part of him…'if there ever was a way to be caught, couldn't think of a better one! Now don't fail after all of this Romeo!' He was shocked at the way his heart was racing, couldn't she hear it? 

"And…and…" his voice faltered, how did he tell her that he couldn't stand to be in her presence and not touch her? How could he tell her that he thought he was going to go mad without kissing her? He drew in a breath, "I need you Ginny, you're perfect and wonderful and I don't deserve someone as kind as you but…" he watched her helplessly as she looked outside the windows. 

In the moonlight, Harry could just make out the shimmering, ghost like apparition of a unicorn. He sighed and stepped away, bowing his head, all former thoughts of her being in even more danger of Voldemort, Dumbledore's need for her, the fact he probably wasn't going to live long enough to graduate… 

"Harry?" Ginny sounded worried. He just shook his head, mouth turning traitor against him: "You'll be in more danger of Voldemort and Dumbledore needs you. Ron'll kill me if he finds out I love you and I'm probably not going to live to see graduation so you'll need someone who can take care of you-" 

"Harry, wait!" 

"-If something happens to me. Neville is rather nice even if he can't dance, or maybe that fourth year from Ravenclaw…Hale something? And Terry Boot is an okay guy, well Hermione says he is at least." 

"Harry!" He looked up at her; terrified he'd see what he knew was there. Ginny's eyes were full of tears, "you love me?" Horrified, Harry realized that he'd included that in his tirade of reasons why he shouldn't come within ten miles of her. He bowed his head and for the third time in his life began to cry over the loss of someone, even though she wasn't gone yet. 

She was suddenly there, in front of him and not wavering from her position. Firmly she pushed his chin up so she could see his face and not much to his surprise, gasped at the sight of the tears. "Oh Harry why do you have to be such a _boy_?" She leaned forward standing on tiptoes and kissed his nose. "You think Cellona didn't know this was going to happen?" 

His heart turned over at the look in her eyes, "she was complaining about 'black-nest heads wandering the forest, playing with spiders and _always_ taking away the good messengers.'" Harry laughed at her mimicking of the irritated tone in the unicorn's voice and sobered. "You're important to Dumbledore," he said softly. 

"Find another red head if Cellona won't talk. I'm in love and taken," with that last word she kissed him on the mouth and was about to grab up her things when Harry picked Ginny up by the waist and kissed her soundly, twirling her around in a circle. Her arms wrapped around his neck and Harry felt like stars were in the air around him…everything was so right. 

The whole world lit up for him, all he knew was that Ginny loved him, the unicorn knew about the whole thing and that there really were shining golden stars twirling in a circle around them. He just grinned lopsidedly at her and she hugged him fiercely. 

Whistling interrupted their moment and Harry turned to find Fred and George, leaning on the door frame, alternately falling over themselves laughing or clapping and cheering loud enough to wake the dead. It wasn't what caught his attention though and made him give a guilty grin, for Professor McGonagall stood just behind the twins, tartan nightgown and all. Her eyes flashed at Harry and Ginny (he'd put her down but kept an arm around her waist), taking in the scene. 

"Well Mr. Potter," she said crisply. George was mimicking Harry with his arm around Fred's waist while his brother gave him dewy eyes reminiscent of Professor Trelawney. Harry ignored them and kept his stupid grin, Ginny just ducked her head, face reddening. "If you two are quite finished," McGonagall continued. "We are all going back upstairs to the dorm where we belong. Miss Weasley, I do believe you have a reason for being down here?" She raised an eyebrow and Ginny nodded picking up the parchment and giving it to her. 

Fred stopped pretending to drool over George and George stopped trying to pick Fred up and swing him around in a circle, both twins watched the parchment intently then looked back to Ginny. McGonagall glanced from the paper to the pair in front of her and back again, seemingly startled. 

Eventually she sighed muttering about wanting to string a Centaur up by their hind legs till they spoke in plain, clear English and shoved the bit of parchment into her pocket. "With us, Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley, if you don't mind?" The little golden lights had gone out however Ginny still seemed to glow from them. Harry returned his arm to its position around her waist and hugged her to him. 

McGonagall marched purposefully down the hallway ignoring the two pairs of students behind her; one pair blissfully enjoying the each other's company while the other set of students snickered at the first two. Harry ignored them and McGonagall sent the four into Gryffindor tower without so much as a detention. 

"To _bed_ Weasleys," she said rather sternly. "Mr. Potter, a word?" Harry sighed and smiled softly down at Ginny, cheeks flushed a soft pink, "tomorrow," he whispered at her. "Tomorrow," she murmured back to him. He kissed her forehead without thinking and heard a fresh bout of snorting laughter from the stairs leading to the Boy's dorms. He rolled his eyes, she grinned and McGonagall _humpffed_ so Harry stepped away from Ginny and she turned, skipping up to her room. 

Harry crawled out of the portrait hole and stood in front of Professor McGonagall again with the stupid smile on his face. "I _know_ that you and Miss Weasley are uhm…becoming close." She seemed to be choosing her words carefully. "However, any more such incidents will _not_ be accepted." She shot him a look; "do you understand?" Harry nodded. "You may go." 

He turned and was half inside the portrait when she called out again: "Mr. Potter?" He half turned, "yes?" 

"If it perhaps helps you to relate…you're parents were caught more than once in the same…err- position." Harry just stared at her, half surprised and felt an even larger smile cross his face, almost proud. "I do believe that Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin were very fond of teasing them about it…" her eyes glazed away then flashed back to him. "You may go." Harry nodded and smiled at her again, "y'know, I don't think Professor Lupin ever told me that one…" McGonagall _humpffed_ again, "I should hope not," she said quite primly and turned to walk back down the halls. 

Harry crawled back inside the tower and put the invisibility cloak on. He trod carefully up the stairs so as not to alert Fred and George who were waiting around the corner for him. Instead, he snuck past and continued till he reached the door with a brass plate marked, _Fifth Years_. It took everything he could do to keep the door from squeaking and snuck back into his room. 

He took his cloak off and crawled into bed, noticing the hands on the small clock next to his bed, which read that it was 3 A.M. The Hungarian Horntail figurine curled contentedly inside some of Ron's robes that were lying on the dresser for some reason. It curled onto its side, showing it's soft, leathery underbelly, he stroked it softly with his finger and it practically purred. 

Sighing, Harry crawled into bed and collapsed, reviewing everything that had happened. Ginny loved him, he loved her, Cellona would still pass messages and McGonagall hadn't given detention. He had the Marauders Map, but was going to have to deal with Ron tomorrow, it didn't matter…dimly he wondered if Sirius would know what his parents did in this situation…probably…he smiled. Remus and Sirius would both definitely be getting owled in the morning. But mostly he thought about Ginny. 

The way the moon shone on her hair, the way her eyes sparkled…the way she held the baby perfectly in her arms while two children peered in to them, gazing wondrously at the tiny boy with red hair and bright green eyes. In his dream Harry sighed contentedly and glanced around the inside of a cozy looking living room. 

There were wizard-pictures of a wedding…one with a brown haired woman and a tall redhead feeding each other cake. A second with him and Ginny waving wildly…a third with a grinning man and woman, each with hair the color of flames. He recognized the man as Charlie Weasley…second oldest of the Weasley seven. A picture of Sirius and Remus tackling each other over a chicken wing at a picnic, Ron reading to a short girl with bright red hair and delighted blue eyes, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley smiling brilliantly while surrounded by their children and grandchildren. Harry sighed…and slept. 


End file.
